Get off our high horse

The recent proliferation of events where Albertans visiting BC have been victimized by threats and vandalism is not only regrettable, but it is the epitome of ignorance displayed by the BC residents who are acting out or deploying the "stink eye" towards anyone with red lettered plates on their vehicle.

Here in BC, we have enjoyed the positive attention from the national media suggesting that we are a model that the other provinces should aspire to replicate in all matters related to the containment of Covid-19, and while we have fared well in comparison to the two most populated provinces, we should take a closer look at how we measure up against our neighbours to the east that so many are pointing to as the next big threat to our health.

On the surface, our 3,934 confirmed cases compared to Alberta's 11,430 suggest that we in BC are managing this mess significantly better than Alberta. But they have tested nearly 3.5 times more of their citizens. In fact, when you prorate our positive case number to the Alberta testing rate, we have nearly 10% more infected.

• BC / Alberta Covid 19 Comparison 2020/08/09
• BC % of Population tested:          4.7%
• BC Cases:                                         3,934
• Alberta % Population Tested:      15.07%
• Alberta Cases:                                 11,430
• BC Positive Cases Prorated to AB Testing Rate: 12,613

At first blush, one might suggest that the BC numbers have become inflated due to the mass infiltration of out-of-province visitors during the summer months however a similar comparison from three months ago on May 10 suggests otherwise. 

BC / Alberta Covid 19 Comparison 2020/05/10

• BC % of Population tested:          1.57%
• BC Cases:                                         2,330
• Alberta % Population Tested:      4.14%
• Alberta Cases:                                 6,157
• BC Positive Cases Prorated to AB Testing Rate: 6,152

Not only are we less superior than we thought we were, but one could argue that the Albertans are risking their personal health to spend their vacation time and money here in BC. Most importantly, Albertans are the third largest source of tourism dollars in BC at around $1.5 billion annually, behind Americans at $2.5 billion (who are spending zero here this year). Albertans also purchased just over $50 million of Okanagan real estate in 2019. 

There will always be those who lash out at easy targets and blame them for their own problems, but let the rest of us get down of our not-so-high horses and thank our neighbours for visiting, whether it's a smile and nod at a neighbouring driver with the Wild Rose Country plates, or genuine "thanks for visiting" in the grocery store parking lot. You will never regret being kind.

Dave Callaghan, Vernon